Clothes-rack.



J, N. WHEELER. CLOTHES BACK. APPLICATION FILED sBPT.1,190s.

Patented Jan. 19, 1909.

JOEL N. WHEELER, OF GENEVA, ILLINOIS.

CLOTHES RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 19, 1909.

Application filed September 19, 1908. Serial No. 453,768.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it- Known that I, Joni. N. WHEELER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Geneva, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Clothes-Racks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a clothes rack of the folding type with the object in view of providing a stable structure which shall be light, convenient and inexpensive.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings in which,

Flgure 1 1s a perspectn'e view showing the rack unfolded and set up for use, Fig. 2 1s a view of the rack folded. Fig. 3 is'an en- 1 .larged partial elevation atthe base, Fig. 4:

is a horizontal section in the plane of the line A-A of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section in the plane of the line B-B of Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 is a still further enlarged View ofa portion of the center post at the point. where the braces engage therewith.

The center post is denoted by 1. It is conveniently made square in cross section and has the inner ends of the folding arms 2 pivotally secured thereto in horizontal sets of four, the number of sets being in the present instance five, the lower set being located near the foot of the post 1. The inner ends of the arms 2 rest against the sides of the center post and the outer ends of the arms are spaced and supported by wing posts 3, four in number, pivotally attached to the arms near their outer ends, the

arms being allowed to project past the wing posts, as shown at i, to form supports for a line 5 which may be passed around the rack to aiiord additional hanging room. I The projecting portions 4 may either have their extreme ends notched to receive the line, as shown at 6, or left plain and the line allowed to'vrest on them, as shown on an intermediate set, Fig. 1.

To make the rack stable when set up for use, long braces 7 are provided, one for each wing post, and these braces 7 are secured at their outer ends'to the wing posts 3 by the same bolt or rivet 7 which secures the outer end of one of the arms 2 near the foot of the post to the wing post, the brace being pref: erably located outside the arm to bring it into a vertical plane in proximity to the corresponding facesof the arms leading from the center post to a given wing post.

The inner ends of the braces 7 are engaged in notches 8 formed in the corners of the center post, the side wall 9 of a notch serving when the brace is in positionfor use, to prevent lateral displacement of the inner end of the brace, the inner end of the brace being at the same time held against displacement in the opposite direction by the arm 2 in a set above the base set, it being understood that the notches 8 in the center post are 10- catcd above the set of arms 2 next above the base set of arms. The notches 8 are made V-shaped, the upper wall 10, serving as an abutment for the end of the brace when in position for use, and the lower wall 11 serving to limit the downward swing of the inner end of the arm when the latter is being adjusted.

By forming the notches S in the corners of the center post, they can be made by machine with great facility and are exposed so that they can be readily cleansed from dust, while the close engagement of the brace 7 with the arm 2 at a considerable distance from the end of the brace serves to make the structure stiff. The length of the braces 7 also adds to the stiifness by carrying the point of resistance against lateral wabbling out to the wing post near its foot. The structure is an extremely simple one, the wing posts and arms being plain slats and the center post plain rectangular. The rack maybe compactly folded when not in use and may be made light and yet have the necessary strength for long service.

What I claim is:

1. A clothes rack comprising a center post, wing posts, arms radiating in sets from the center post and pivotally secured to the center and wing posts and swinging braces secured at their outer ends to the wing posts at the points where the base arms are secured to the wing posts and extending along in engagement with the faces of arms of a set above the base set of arms into. removable engagement with the center post.

2. A clothes rack comprising a center post provided with notches in its corners at a point above its base, wing posts, arms radiating in sets from the center post and piv otally secured to the center and wing posts and swinging. braces extending diagonally upward from the outer ends of a lower set 0 arms to the notches in the center post, the said braces being secured to the wing posts at the points where arms are secured thereto and having theif' inner ends held against presence of witnesses, day of lateral displacement by. the wallof a notch .August, 1908. 1 and the face of an arm of a set above the set where the outer ends of the braces are i secured. Witnesses:

In testimony, that I clainnthe foregoing WM. Grmmonn, as my invention, I have signed my name in W. R. FRY. f

J EL N. 

